288 Mr. Voiilton' s flirt] I er notes upon the 



above. At the conclusion of this stage the larva is 

 about 25 mm. long, when stretched comfortably at rest. 

 This stage only lasted about six days. A larva at the 

 end of this stage, comfortably extended at rest, is shown 

 at fig. 4, X 2. 



Stage IV. — The larva at the beginning of this stage is 

 exactly similar to one in the last, except for the greater 

 size of the purple borders. The subdorsal and line 

 above it are present at first, but subsequently disappear, 

 while the 8tli stripe remains. The pair of distinct dots 

 are at first visible on each thoracic segment, but they 

 afterwards cease to be recognisal^le, together with the 

 line of which they form part. The 7th stripe is con- 

 tinuous, and so also are the central parts of the others 

 where the purple border is present. The latter varies 

 in amount, and I have seen it almost absent, except on 

 the 1st and 7th stripes. Immediately after ecdysis the 

 dots of the stripes are separate (fig. 9, x 4). The stripes 

 are pure white where they are bordered with purj^le, but 

 yellowish above this part, while the purple gives place 

 to dark green. The purple and pure white change to 

 the other colours before reaching the posterior limits of 

 the segment they are crossing, while in the fifth stage 

 the change takes place in the next segment posteriorly. 

 The white stripes are continued inferiorly and anteriorly 

 into a very distinct row of white tubercles on the next 

 segment anteriorly (as in the adult). The ground colour 

 of the part of the surface on which the oblique stripes run 

 (except the inferior continuations just mentioned) is a 

 much brighter and yellower green than the rest of the 

 body. The upper yellowish part of the oblique stripes 

 is formed of distinct and separate yellow tubercles. 

 This is the stage of the Sphinx attitude, and the head is 

 held higher and further back than at any other time. 

 As the larva approaches the end of the stage it becomes 

 very adult-looking, this efiect being especially produced 

 by the shagreen dots becoming less conspicuous. There 

 is great variation in the darkness of the larvae, the dark 

 forms having black sides to the head, while the purple 

 borders deepen anteriorly and inferiorly into very nearly 

 black. The lightest larvas have hardly any black on the 

 head, and the purple only deepens to brownish. There 

 is every shade of difi'erence between these extremes. A 

 full-grown larva in this stage is about 33 mm. long in 

 the Sphinx attitude, but much longer when extended 



